Why was North Carolina the only state to shut down its WIC program?

By Molly Parker Molly.Parker@StarNewsOnline.com

Sunday

Oct 27, 2013 at 7:47 PM

Gov. McCrory's Department of Health and Human Services is attempting to clear the air about why.

The heat is on Gov. Pat McCrory's administration for giving North Carolina the distinction of being the only state in the nation to shut down a critical nutritional program for low-income mothers and their children during the recently passed federal government shutdown, with some claiming it was a political move. Now, McCrory's Department of Health and Human Services is attempting to clear the air about why. The agency released 181 pages late Friday of public documents to the StarNews that showed top DHHS and McCrory officials scrambled to secure additional funding to keep operational what's known officially as the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children – WIC for short – as a stalemate in Washington led to a freeze on federal funds for many state-administered programs. Still, the voluminous document fails to fully answer the critical question of why North Carolina shuttered its WIC program for such a brief time when the other 49 states operating the program managed to keep it going. Emails passed between state agency officials also show that this question even plagued DHHS and McCrory officials, as state officials also worried over the public image problem of shuttering WIC due to a "cash flow problem" while other states kept their doors open. On Oct. 9, Andy Ellen from the N.C. Retail Merchants Association emailed DHHS staff saying, "We are evidently the only state in the country taking this stance – Utah, Delaware and South Carolina figured this out the past two days. Companies that operate in multiple states are up in arms and the USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture) is telling them there is money for North Carolina that is not being utilized." DHHS spokesman Ricky Diaz responded to his colleagues in an email: "I'm hearing this too from media questions I'm getting. I would like some clarity as to why."In a later email with the subject line "WIC talking points" Diaz, under the headline "Why were we the only state?" writes "I can't comment on other states. We fought the federal government and were able to secure additional funds to keep the WIC program open." As an example of its role locally, the New Hanover WIC program completed 11,000 nutrition assessments in fiscal year 2013 and pays the salaries of 11 full-time New Hanover County employees. Statewide, WIC serves roughly 264,000 women and their children monthly with an annual budget of about $205 million, paid fully by the federal government. DHHS suspended the issuance of new WIC vouchers on Oct. 8, in a news release that went out about 5 p.m. – nearing deadline time for most reporters – while lawmakers at the capital were wrapping up a public grilling of DHHS Secretary Aldona Wos about hiring decisions and widespread technology glitches leading to delays in Medicaid payments and food stamp delivery.Two days later, the administration did an abrupt about-face, publicly reopening the WIC program with a news release announcement put out late in the evening. Questioned by the StarNews as to why the program had been shuttered in the first place, Diaz was light on details. Raleigh area congressman Rep. David Price, D-N.C., has been outspoken in his questioning of the McCrory administration's decision, pledging to get to the bottom of it. On Oct. 11, he issued a statement that said his office had confirmed the day prior that the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which funds the program, had promised contingency funds to every state, including North Carolina, to keep WIC programs running through the end of October. In a timeline provided by DHHS, the agency said it worked diligently to secure funds between Oct. 1 and Oct. 9 but "responses were not immediate." DHHS said it received $1 million in federal funds on Oct. 9; an issuance of $3 million in state funds on Oct. 10; and an advance on a rebate from food manufacturer Nestle on Oct. 11. The state Office of State Budget and Management said in a memo dated Sept. 30 that state agencies did not have the authority to spend state funds on federal programs, and the guarantee for federal funding came after the Oct. 8 shutdown of WIC, records show.

Metro desk: 343-2389On Twitter: @StarNewsMolly

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